ESPN analyst: Arizona closer to being a ‘factor’ than Arizona State

Rich Rodriguez and Todd Graham were hired by their respective schools about the same time.

They each will have led their teams to bowl games in year one, surpassing all expectations placed upon their programs.

When asked which team is closest to competing for a Pac-12 South championship, though, ESPN NCAA football analyst Kirk Herbstreit said it’s the team in Tucson.

“I think Rich Rod, because of his style of offense, if he gets the personnel to run it I think they can be a factor,” he told Arizona Sports 620’s Doug and Wolf Tuesday. “With Arizona State, I think it’s going to be a little bit more of a challenge.